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Religion/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby Moby is sitting in his study. He is wearing glasses and smiling as he reads from a large book. Sacred texts of various faiths are piled on the desk next to him. Birds chirp, and in the window behind him, the Sun is rising. Tim walks into the study, still wearing his pajamas. TIM: Morning, Moby. You've been reading these religious texts all night? MOBY: Beep. TIM: Um, are you having some kind of crisis? MOBY: Beep. Moby removes his glasses and hands Tim an envelope. Tim reads from a typed letter. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, What is religion? From, Erin. Uh, hmm. Religions are sets of beliefs that try to answer questions about human existence. Like, who are we? And how did we get here? What do we do with ourselves now that we're here? An animation shows a human silhouette standing on Earth, surrounded by question marks. TIM: And what happens to us when we die? The silhouette and question marks disappear, replaced by a gravestone with a single question mark floating above it. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Beliefs are ideas that make sense to us. They give us a way to define ourselves, provide guidelines for our actions, and offer a measure of what's important. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yeah, there are hundreds of religions practiced all over the world, and each is different in its own way. Symbols represent the many religions Tim references. TIM: Beep. TIM: Well, here's the way I see it. Just because you believe that one religion is right for you doesn't make all the other ones wrong. And if someone's beliefs differ from yours, that doesn't necessarily mean that you're wrong. Belief is a very personal thing. We can always learn things from each other, and being tolerant of other people's beliefs is the best way we can do just that. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Mm, okay. Here's a rundown of some of the most common. Christianity is the most popular religion on the planet today, and its teachings are written in a book called the Bible. Images show a Christian cross and a copy of the Holy Bible. TIM: It's a monotheistic religion. That means they believe in one god. An image shows an elderly man in the sky, dressed as a king. This figure represents the Christian god. TIM: According to Christianity, this god sent his son, Jesus Christ, down to Earth about two thousand years ago. He was killed by the government of the Roman Empire but came back to life three days later and went up to heaven. An image shows the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. He is surrounded by Roman soldiers. TIM: Christians believe that Jesus died to save people from their own sins, and that he'll return one day to judge the Earth. An image shows a glorified Jesus Christ in heaven, being tended to by angels. TIM: There are hundreds of branches of Christianity, including Catholicism, Protestantism, Mormonism, and the Religious Society of Friends, just to name a few. Christianity grew out of Judaism, one of the oldest monotheistic religions. The Torah, the most sacred Jewish text, teaches that a single god created the universe and watches over humans, rewarding good and punishing evil. An image shows a gathering of Jews reading a religious scroll. TIM: Judaism has three main branches: orthodox, conservative, and reform. Three images of the Jewish Star of David are labeled, respectively, Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform. TIM: The teachings of Islam are found in a holy book called the Koran. An image shows a copy of the Koran. TIM: Muslims believe in one god, called Allah, and his prophet Mohammed. Islam is based on five pillars, or main rules that every Muslim must follow. Reciting the Muslim creed at least once, praying five times daily while facing the holy city of Mecca, donating a portion of their income to charity, fasting during the month of Ramadan, and making a pilgrimage to Mecca. Images show a boy reciting a creed, a group of Muslims in prayer, a Muslim giving to charity, and a Muslim fasting. A map shows the location of the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, as well as the Kaaba, a cube that houses a sacred stone in Mecca. TIM: Hinduism is the combination of thousands of different religious groups that have evolved in India since fifteen hundred B.C.E. Hindus believe that the universe has one divine soul. An image shows a map of India. TIM: They also believe in many different gods, including Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Images show the three Hindu gods Tim names. TIM: Karma, the Hindus believe, is the sum of good and bad deeds that each person accumulates in life. The Hindus see humans as caught in a cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth. An animation places an image of a baby, an adult, and a tombstone in a cycle, with an arrow pointing from each image to the next. TIM: Buddhists don't believe in any type of god or gods. An image shows a large statue of Buddha. TIM: They believe in Four Noble Truths: that suffering is universal, the cause of suffering is the desire to have and control things, suffering ends when we rid ourselves of that desire, and that the path to nirvana, or spiritual enlightenment, involves practicing the proper thoughts, speech and actions. A series of simple animations dramatizes Tim's description of Buddhism. TIM: Buddhists believe in reincarnation, and that life cycles over and over until nirvana is achieved. Sikhism is based on the teachings of ten gurus, or spiritual leaders, who lived in Northern India hundreds of years ago. Sikhs meditate and recite a number of daily prayers as a way to seek enlightenment and connect with an all-powerful god called Waheguru. Images show the symbol of Sikhism, along with the faces of the ten gurus Tim describes. TIM: Jainism is a really old religion, and it's practiced mostly in India. An animation shows the symbol of Jainism and a map of India. TIM: Jains believe in nonviolence and spirituality, and they place high importance on literacy and self-control. An image shows Jains. TIM: Practiced mainly in Japan, Shinto emphasizes purity, the divinity of nature, and the worship of one's ancestors. An image shows a Shinto temple. TIM: Many festivals are held in honor of the dead, as well as the seasons of the year. An image shows a Shinto festival. TIM: Taoists believe that the Tao is a force that started the universe and flows through all of life. Taoists lead a simple life based on the principles of moderation, humility, and compassion. An image shows the yin-yang symbol that represents Taoism. TIM: The Unitarian Universalist Association has Judeo-Christian teachings at its base and stresses the inherent self-worth of each individual person. An image shows the emblem of the Unitarian Universalist Association. TIM: Unitarian Universalists believe that spiritual enlightenment comes from life experience and that their members should be humanitarians working towards peace, freedom, and justice throughout the world. Vodun is a religion that has roots in western Africa and also Judeo-Christianity. People who practice Vodun, or Vodou, worship a high god, the dead, twins, and spirits called loa, which are African tribal gods. An image shows followers of Vodun doing a religious dance. TIM: Rastafari, or Rasta, is a religion that accepts the former emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie the First, as its god. It originated in Jamaica, but its adherents look to Africa as Zion, a potential heaven on Earth. An image shows a map of Africa, with the country of Ethiopia highlighted. Another image shows Haile Selassie the First. TIM: Scientology, founded in nineteen fifty-four by the American L. Ron Hubbard, considers the souls of its members to be immortal beings called thetans. An image shows Scientology's emblem and L. Ron Hubbard. TIM: Scientologists believe that individual thetans may take many forms over millions of years of existence, including those of aliens on faraway planets. Images show several human and alien beings. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, yeah. There are many people whose belief systems are not based on faith in a god or gods or other immortal beings. Buddhism and Jainism are two examples. Images show Buddha and the symbol for Jainism. TIM: Another is Wicca, a religion based on the Earth and nature. An image shows a Wiccan standing next to a fire and playing a wind instrument. Stonehenge is in the background. TIM: Wiccans believe in a creative force that exists in the universe. They meet in groups and perform nature-based rituals, and some consider themselves to be witches. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, these are just some of the world's many religions, and I kept it pretty simple. There are tons of others. And not everyone belongs to a religious group. Agnostics feel that a supreme being's existence can neither be proved nor disproved. They're not sure whether or not a god exists, but according to them, no one can come up with enough proof either way. An animation shows a silhouette looking up into the sky. A face floats there, with two question marks for eyes. TIM: Then there are atheists, who don't believe in any god at all. The face in the sky disappears, and the silhouette stands on Earth alone. TIM: Many atheists are still spiritual. They just don't believe in the supernatural: things that can't be explained by reason and science. So anyway, Moby, what-- what do you believe? MOBY: Beep. TIM: Hey, me too. Except for the part about the all-powerful, divine robot. But that's cool. Category:BrainPOP Transcripts